Black Wave

Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry that Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East

By: Kim Ghattas

Narrated by: Kim Ghattas, Nan McNamara

Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Kim Ghattas delivers a gripping account of the largely unexplored story of the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, born from the sparks of the 1979 Iranian revolution and fueled by American policy.

With vivid story-telling, extensive historical research and on-the-ground reporting, Ghattas dispels accepted truths about a region she calls home. She explores how Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran, once allies and twin pillars of US strategy in the region, became mortal enemies after 1979. She shows how they used and distorted religion in a competition that went well beyond geopolitics. Feeding intolerance, suppressing cultural expression, and encouraging sectarian violence from Egypt to Pakistan, the war for cultural supremacy led to Iran's fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, the assassination of countless intellectuals, the birth of groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the September 11th terrorist attacks, and the rise of ISIS.

Ghattas also introduces us to a riveting cast of characters whose lives were upended by the geopolitical drama over four decades: from the Pakistani television anchor who defied her country's dictator, to the Egyptian novelist thrown in jail for indecent writings all the way to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

©2020 Kim Ghattas (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

50 Years of Contemporary Islamic History

I have lived through the part of the history narrated in this book which covers the major events of contemporary Islamic history since 1979 — the year of the Islamic revolution in Iran — that have shaped, or rather reshaped, the religio-political canvass of the Middle East extending to Pakistan.

The book is accurate, extremely well researched and will be a great source of knowledge for those who wish to catch up on the last fifty years of the Muslim history in a short time. The narration was pleasant and I remained glued to listening thus finishing it under 5 days.

If Soren Kierkegaard’s words that “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards” are of any relevance, this book provides just the adequate past and context.

So you think you know the Middle East?

I say that until you have listened and or read this incredible work that you do not. Delightful, inspiring, gruesome and challenging are some of the words that come to mind regarding Black Wave. Huge thanks to the author for letting me know just how much I don't know.

An engrossing an educational experience

Excellent in every way. I learned a lot from this nuanced and carefully balanced discussion of the issues that have made peace in the Middle East so difficult to attain.

Excellent Overview of the Modern Middle East

A sharp, concise, and propulsive look at the Saudi and Iranian impact since 1979 on the Middle East. I learned a ton about the formation of the Saudi state and its evolution toward religious extremism (and the corresponding Iranian move in the same direction).

Highly recommend if you're interested in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and/or Iranian history since 1979.

Sunni Shia Divide and the World Order

Black Wave, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry that Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East. Written by Kim Ghattas, and narrated by Kim Ghattas, Nan McNamara. A full-throated history accompanied by an explanation of the underlying theories causing the Sunni - Shia confrontation of Islam and its effect on World Order.

The book lays out the modern history of the initial development of the Sunni – Shia (Saudi-Persian) confrontation the author claims had its present-day origins in the late 1970s. The book, though, is so much better than my simplified statement on the present-day status of the clash. It provides the reader with an analysis of the individual people and their political circumstances that ignited these great theocratic and philosophical arguments and then lays out how those opinions brought about mass movements by large numbers of peoples, as well as the results of those human trends and their effect on World Order. The author goes even further to then explain how the autocratic power brokers took advantage of the trends and came to power and how they held that power; or not. The historic tale reads like a cliff hanger. The book is a page-turner. For example, the manner in which the author Ghattas, demonstrates how the Shia-Alawis axis came into being is both dramatic and serendipitous. Great read; and even better literate study that will provide an understanding of forces emanating from the middle east and effecting World Order.

Indispensable.

Ghattas restores complexity so often abandoned in a search for quick analysis and easy (and often self-serving) answers. Importantly, in the process of explaining the earthquake in the region culminating in and following 1979, it firmly debunks the popular (and too often convenient) misrepresentation of the historic Shia-Sunni relationship.

Loved it!

I loved this book so much. I will have a difficult time getting this book off my mind.

Revealing and Enlightening

This book is everything I've ever wondered about the middle East from firsthand narratives in various countries, showing the interconnection of it all. It's understanding, with and without judgement and the consequences of each choice. Well done and thank you, and thanks to all that support the openness of this writing. I hope we all examine our faith and judgement. We aren't unique, special, or chosen, just like everyone else.

Interesting introduction

I really appreciated the narrative arc that the author wove through the revolutionary time frame to present that she covered. For avid readers on Middle Eastern history, there’s not much new here. However, this would be a great introduction to the region for someone less familiar. I did not really enjoy the narrators reading, it seemed a little clinical, but the story is well told.

Ghattas should have read the book!

A thorough, patient approach to teach the readers the complex modern history of the Middle East. The non-native accented reading by McNamara was likely targeted to western audiences. I found the reading emotionally flat and with occasionally faulty pronunciation. The author herself was a delight to listen to during the short end pieces.